Body Image Anxiety While Traveling: How Becoming An Intuitive Eater Helped Me Experience The World Differently

Believe me- when it comes to my “all or nothing” mindset around food…I've been through quite the journey- particularly when traveling.

For most of my life, it was a constant tug of war between going off on adventures and feeling out of control with food on the road…it's so hard to enjoy the moment when all you can think about is how your bloated belly is going to look in the pictures.  

I'd “eat clean” for weeks before a trip and binge throughout the entire experience, with a new “eating plan” waiting for me as soon as I returned home so that I could get back on track.

It was a vicious cycle. And I'd use any “travel” as an excuse to binge- whether it was a day trip for work or a flight across the country.

I remember this one time that I went to visit one of my best friends after she had moved out West.

We'd planned it for MONTHS.

And I hadn't seen her in almost a year, so truth be told, wanted to show up looking good- the “people pleaser” in me back then always searching for a compliment.

The night before I left, I packed my bags and hopped on the scale one last time.

I liked the number that I saw…(phew!). Which gave me a little green light to go ahead and treat myself.

Enter “vacation mode” mindset.

The next morning, I tossed on a cute outfit, grabbed my bag, and headed out.

As soon as I got to the airport I grabbed a giant bag of candy and several packs of mints, telling myself I'd just have a few.

Well about halfway through the flight I'd mindlessly ate my way to the bottom of the bag of caramels…trying to be as discreet as possible so that the people sitting next to me didn't think that I was nuts.

Coughing to cover up the sound of opening another crinkly wrapper.

Bending down in my seat to pop another morsel in my mouth, pretending to look for something in my bag.

Did I mention that I'd eaten both packs of the mints too? Yeah….

As soon as I stood up to get off the plane, I could feel how uncomfortably full my belly was- “thank God for the jacket I brought”, I mentally panicked.

My confidence was shot. I threw on a fake smile and made my way out to meet my friend, feeling insecure, defeated, and mentally preoccupied with my self-judgment rather than getting to enjoy the present moment.

After one vacation after another with this same scenario, I'd finally reached a breaking point with my “all or nothing” mindset, binge eating, and food cravings.

I knew that something had to change. There had to be a solution.

I didn't want to go on another trip spending more time focusing more on how uncomfortable I felt in my body, rather than the experience- regardless if it was work or pleasure.

My rock bottom of food binges and body shaming not only led me to go begin the deeper healing that I needed (physically, mentally, and emotionally)- it shined a light on my purpose…

To help other women who are struggling with the same food issues understand that there IS a solution. That they can embrace their own authenticity & enjoy the life that they're creating, without constantly obsessing over food or body.

The journey has been long and deeply uncomfortable at times, but it's led to a life-changing sense of food freedom and body trust for me and now for so many of my clients.

One of the key things that played a huge role in my journey was learning about Intuitive Eating Vs. Eating Intuitively. I share all about it in my podcast, Body Truth. I invite you to listen and apply these tools on your next vacation! listen here.

P.S. Want even more resources to stay inspired on your body image journey? Be sure to dowload your free Body Acceptance Starter Kit!